Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLand & Water Conservation-Resource & Education Committee 10-06-98x ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Tom Dorsey, Chairman St. Croix County Board FROM: Art Jensen, Chairman COMMITTEE TITLE: Land & Water Conservation/Resource & Education Committee DATE: October 6, 1998 TIME: Q;®Stt,*TIME CHANGE* 8:30 A.M. LOCATION: Ag Center, Baldwin CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING: ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Reports: View Video - Town Board/Development Rights DNR NRCS FSA RC&D West Central Area Education Activities Farmland Preservation Legislation/Environmental Stewardship Priority Watershed Projects -Kinnickinnic -South Fork of Hay River -St. Croix Lakes Cluster EQIP Glen Hills Watershed -Flood Plain Study -Structure #1 Pipe Drawdown -Structure 42 Pipe Separation Baldwin Ag Building Update Bass Lake Boat Landing Riverway Task Force 1999 Budget Policy - Animal Waste Storage Ordinance NEW BUSINESS: Vouchers Farmland Preservation Applications Subdivision Review - 11:00 a.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) SUBMITTED BY Charles Christenson DATE: September 22, 1998 COPIES TO: COUNTY BOARD OFFICE NEWS MEDIA/NOTICE BOARD COUNTY CLERK COMMITTEE MEMBERS * ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS/CHANGES Convened: 8:30 a.m. Adjourned: 11:50 a.m. ST. CROIX COUNTY LAND & WATER CONSERVATION/RESOURCE & EDUCATION COMMITTEE Agricultural Center, Baldwin, WI October 6, 1998 Members Present: Chris Bethke, Lois Burri, Jim Cody, Art Jensen, Ron Raymond Members Absent: Leon Berenschot - Excused Staff Present: County Conservationist -Charles Christenson, Technician -Bob Heise, Farmland Preservation Technician -David Sander, Kinnickinnic Project Manager -Tim Popple, Lakes Cluster Project Manager -Pete Kling, South Fork/Kinnickinnic Project Technician -Kyle Kulow, Secretary -Arlene Lier Others Present: Don Siler-Jay Custer-NRCS, Dick Gade-FSA, Kris Belling-DNR Meeting called to order by Chairman Art Jensen. Cody made motion to adopt agenda. Bethke seconded. Carried. Cody made motion to approve September 1, 1998 meeting minutes. Seconded by Raymond. Carried. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 1998 at 9:00 a.m. Kling showed video on "Dunn (Dane County) Town Board/Development Rights" program. Will show video "Houses in the Fields" at a future meeting. Raymond commented on the edited version of the new county plan (development rights). DNR Kris Belling (Wildlife Biologist): The Western Prairie Habitat Restoration area feasibility study was approved by the Natural Resources Board in September with the instruction to establish a Citizen Advisory Board to work with us on implementation. We still need approval from the Governor's office before we can start the project. The Baldwin Service Center is having an open house on October 8,4:00- 8:00 p.m. DNR Secretary George Meyer will be here to speak. Forestry Tree order forms are now available from the DNR state nurseries. Trees and shrubs sell on a first come -first serve basis. Expect that the hardwoods will be sold out by end of October. NRCS Siler handed out and discussed September activity report. Many, landowners are concerned over purchase cost of seed for CRP - price fluctuated. Staff reviewed close to 500 acres of the 15th CRP signup where prairie grasses were planned and found adequate cover on site and could allow the landowner to keep the current cover. The 18th CRP signup runs from October 26-December 11. FSA Gade reported that staff -wise, both FSA and NRCS will be hurting. Plan to hold group sessions for CRP sign-up beginning October 26. Hiring 3 temporary employees to assist with the Loan Deficiency Payment Program and Conservation Reserve Program sign-up. Loan Deficiency Payment Program - Low commodity prices are causing Loan Deficiency Payments (LDP) to be made to eligible producers. The majority of farmers in the county would be eligible for LDP's. Program has been changed to allow corn silage and low grade commodities as an approved LDP commodity along with the crop harvested as grain. St. Croix County FSA could be making up to 8,000 payments in 1998 if the low prices persist. RC &D Christenson reported that Berenschot attended the state convention at Manitowoc. WEST CENTRAL AREA Fall meeting will be held October 29 at UW-Stout, Menomonie. Area speaking contest will be held. Harvey Halvorsen-DNR will give introduction for the Wildlife Habitat Development Award (winner -Vern & Becky Nagel). Bethke, Cody, Jensen, and Raymond plan to attend. Will meet at Ag Center, leave at 8:30 a.m. EDUCATION ACTIVITIES Sander reported: School field day was held for Baldwin -Woodville 6th graders on September 11 at Glen Hills County Park. Field day for Glenwood City 5th grade students will be on October 9. Sander spent time at New Richmond High School Ag Department with 12 students who participated in speaking competition. They took second place at Madison. They will now go to the National meeting in Kansas City. County speaking contest will be held October 13 at 7:00 p.m. Burri will be a judge from LWCC. Kling held an education class with St. Anne's students on a Bass Lake project. Popple, Kulow, Dankemeyer, and Dan Burgess -Pierce County held a Kinni class - riparian buffers, showing the good and bad side of the Kinni. FARMLAND PRESERVATION Sander reported: -The "Notice of Noncompliance" has been completed for Don Quam. -Problem with Lenertz may be resolved because land is being sold off. County Clerk to send an application returned by DATCP for more information. LEGISLATION/ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP Christenson, Heise, and Sander will be attending a training session on Land & Water Resource Management Plan Development in Wausau in November 2-3. The plan will eventually take place of the priority watersheds. Should give the counties more responsibility for making goals. The planning process will outline where the counties feel needs are greatest. PRIORITY WATERSHED PROJECTS Kinnickinnic - Popple reported that 1997 and 1998 EQIP contracts have been completed. All signatures have been obtained for 1998. Will spend winter lining up projects. Finishing touches on most chapters. Ambitious schedule - Steering committee meeting on November 19. Hope to have plan in draft form for final review again with Steering Committee. DNR, staff, Town Boards, and LWCC will get to review plan. Will then hold public hearing. Special concerns will be heard until one hour before meeting. Will go before LWCC in December and also County Board. Final plan to be presented to State Land & Water Board in February. Popple announced his intent to resign as project manager if the new job offer is accepted. His last work day would be October 23. Kulow would become the project manager. After completing nutrient management project, Troy Dankemeyer (intern) could help on any watershed work. He would be temporary until after January 1999. Local Assistance fund should be the same amount of money in 1999. Staff will keep in close touch with Karen Voss-DNR-Eau Claire concerning process to complete plan draft and obtaining approval. South Fork of Hay River - Kulow reported that Mike Kinney is now back as project manager. Planning is underway - 31 participants signed for the incentive payment. Soil testing must be done by end of fall. Payments must be made in 1998 program year. Lakes Cluster - Kling will show a 1-2 hour video on "easements" at the November 3 LWCC meeting. There is approximately $100,000 worth of easement money available. County would hold conservation easement. Raymond asked which committee has responsibility. Cost share money $20,000-40,000/year. Lake Mallalieu - Has been asked to talk to group next week. They are looking at dredging lake. Buzz Sorge has already talked to group. Kling will talk about what he knows regarding watershed projects. Problem with dredging is layer of arsenic in the lake bottom. GLEN HILLS WATERSHED Flood Plain Study - Christenson reported first phase has been started. Photos were sent to Ayres -Madison office. Second phase will include structures 7 and 8. Field work to be done soon. Survey monuments will be installed on 41,2,11,7 and 8 by County Highway. Structure #1 Pipe Drawdown - Nechville has already started the project. Bill Ullom has some problem on the work being done, although he had attended a LWCC meeting at one time and was in agreement with the draw down pipe. Would still like a wildlife pond. Structure #2 Pipe Separation - County Highway will do the project. Cost may be $7,500-10,000. NRCS State Office -Madison will make a contribution toward cost. Heise suggested using camera to determine condition of pipe. Christenson stated funding for videos is budgeted. Jensen and Christenson will attend the budget meeting to support need for funding. Reported that there have been several false alarms due to power outages in the Glenwood City area. Battery backups (cost approximately $70.00 each) are being installed on each structure with a signal to carry power for some time and hopefully reduce the false alarms. AG BUILDING UPDATE Christenson reported that the two small conference rooms do not have chairs. Phones should be installed in each of the 3 conference rooms. Phone jacks are already there. Sander commented that the building design originally called for phones per work stations. County has to purchase extra phones ($70 each) on their own. Jensen requested staff to get cost figures on chairs. BASS LAKE BOAT LANDING Christenson reported that Joe Grant -Glen concerns about future maintenance such as should not be a big concern. FAPMLAND PRESERVATION APPLICATIONS None. Hills Park Manager has snow plowing. Snow plowing RIVERWAY TASK FORCE Raymond commented that something new is happening. Ogden group is writing new rules. Will combine protection and resource. Every watershed is part of the big river. Linda Luckey -County Board Member is our rep on the committee. Will try to write rules. Task force is divided. Future group includes Ogden group. Christenson commented on the "Joint Funding Agreement to monitor streamflow, nutrient concentrations, and compute loads in tributaries to the St. Croix River and Lake St. Croix". Resolution has already passed. County will handle funding. Will bill the Department of Interior fund. Chairman Jensen signed joint funding agreement. SUBDIVISION REVIEW Countryview Meadows Subdivision (Sec. 26 - Town of Somerset) - Reviewed storm water and erosion control plans. Bethke made motion that LWCC recommends approval of Countryview Meadows subdivision and a letter be forwarded to the Planing, Zoning & Parks Committee. Cody seconded. Carried. Brown's Ridge Subdivision (Sec. 26 - Town of Hudson) - Reviewed storm water and erosion control plans. Cody made motion that LWCC recommends approval of Brown's Ridge subdivision with the following condition: Additional soil borings are needed on lots 7 and 9. Seconded by Bethke. Carried. Richmond Heights Subdivision (Sec. 33 & 34 - Town of Star Prairie) - Presented Richmond Heights subdivision to committee for information and potential ground water concerns resulting from the New Richmond landfill. No action. POLICY REVIEW FOR ANIMAL WASTE ORDINANCE The "St. Croix County Land & Water Department Professional Engineering Policy and Standards" draft was reviewed and approved at September meeting. Heise stated that Berenschot had questioned the insurance portion. If project fails in 7-10 years, that the engineer would have to take care of it - errors and omissions insurance if there is a design fault. Engineer should have some responsibility after they leave. Bethke made motion to add "If design is not right, liability would be the engineer's responsibility". Raymond seconded and added that staff should work with Corporation Counsel on the additional wording. Carried. VOUCHERS Reviewed vouchers. Bethke made motion to approve vouchers. Seconded by Raymond. Carried. 1999 BUDGET Christensonreported that he sees no problem with the proposed budget. Review is scheduled for October 7. MISCELLANEOUS Sander handed out "Office Priorities" list. Will discuss at November meeting. Student teacher from Tom Wells' class brought who gave their presentation "Urbanization vs. War". They are preparing for a presentation Convention on November 11. Jensen a journed meeting at 11:50 a.m. Ji Cody, Secretary By Arlene Lier a group of FFA students Preservation Tug of at the National FFA